Tourism as a market creator for handicrafts in Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

The object of the study was tourism as an instrument of market production for handicrafts from Mato Grosso do Sul. The objective of the research was to analyze the relationship between tourist activity and handicraft in the state, and, for this purpose, semi-structured interviews were carried out with those responsible for handicraft stores, tourists, and autochthonous people along all the entrances in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and its rising and falling tourist destinations, thus covering the entirety of supply points and localities of incidence of production and consumption of handicraft items. This action resulted in on-site observations and the generation of photographic records illustrating the points susceptible of inference. The results show an inseparable relationship between tourism and handicraft, since the first produces a market for the second, which in turn molds itself to the first, with a relationship engendered from the demand of tourists who use the active tourist circuit. However, the tripod of sustainable development – economy, environment, and society – is not a reference for companies that sell handcrafted items to tourists, which are limited to seeing commerce as an exclusive source of profit, with few representatives genuinely interested in the context of culture and of the story that a handcrafted piece can represent.

Keywords
regional development; environment; craft trade